Teanga Tuesday 5: Demonstrative Adjectives and La Bruja (a witch)

I was unable to attend my Spanish conversation class last night. James had a meeting that came up in work and, although he tried very hard to reschedule it so I wouldn’t miss my class, it wasn’t to be. Even knowing on Sunday that I may not make it to class, I did my homework. I reveiewed my weeked, translated it into Spanish, studied the verb tenses I needed to use and the new vocabulary and made a note of some questions I have for my teacher for the next class.

I’ve also been slowly studying Spanish adjectives. Most recently it’s the demonstrative adjectives, which are used to point out someone or something. In English these are:
this (here)
these (here)
that (there)
those (there)
that (farther away or out of sight)
those (farther away or out of sight)

I was having some difficulty remembering when to use este (this) and ese (that). Then I discovered a lovely tip in my trusty little grammar bible Spanish Grammar by Barron’s.

Tip:
To distinguish between este libro (this book) and ese libro (that book), remember that the t in este libro (this book near me) falls off on its way to ese libro (that book near you).

As a result I have a lovely little image in my head of the t falling off of este (here) as it makes its way to ese (there). Now when I listen to my Spanish CDs I find it a lot easier to produce the correct demonstrative adjective when prompted. Ah, little steps of progress!

Oh, and I had my first dream in Spanish on Sunday night. Well I had a dream where I used a Spanish word, but it counts! I had been reading Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya about the coming-of-age of a young mexican boy in the 1940s and his relationship to a curandera (healer). Some people think she is a witch, which in Spanish is la bruja. There are three evil witches in the story too. This must have all been percolating in my brain because I dreamt that I had to cut down a tree that was transforming into a bruja. I cut most of the roots except for one large one when the bruja started to move and pursue me, stretching this one root the whole time as she did so. All the while, I was repeating to myself, “La bruja is coming.” I was semi-conscious as I dreamt and kept trying to end the dream, without success. At some point as I dreamt I realized that this is my first “Spanish” dream. I’m using the language in my sleeping brain. The dream eventually changed where I was in France, about the engage in some sightseeing of Paris with a group of people I didn’t feel attached to. Then the lovely Colin Firth appeared and invited me (in French) to take a drive with himself and some friends to the town of Rouen in Normandy. I delightedly accepted and as we started our road trip I woke up.

Two dreams in different languages in one night. I take it as a sign that the linguistic centers of my brain are getting organized to accommodate the newest language neighbor moving. My brain is welcoming Spanish.

Note: For related posts and more about my interest in languages you can check out my language pagehere.